About The Fibbers

All About The Bands and Who We Are

The Big Fibbers

First there was THE BIG FIBBERS (formed 2003)Take one dancing fool who sings a bit and plays some strange wind instruments and a failed pantomime villain on acoustic guitar and you get some acoustic cabaret punked up pop – whatever that is.They write songs about booze, madness, the ghosts of love, aliens, fish and even more booze.One of the most energetic acts on the circuit – they have been playing festivals and pub gigs all over the country every year since 2003. Driven by Michael McDonough-Jones’ explosive and dynamic guitar playing, and M.R.L.P. Minister for Blatant Lies, front-man Nigel Knapp entertains any and every audience.And the onstage banter – between themselves and the crowd – is unusually worth listening to: sometimes comic, sometimes sad, quite often surreal and almost always in English.From the sublime to the ridiculous they fall somewhere between humour and despair with bits of mayhem and beauty thrown in for good measure.Manic Folk – is that what they play or is that what they is???

The Faux Fibbers

Then there was THE FAUX FIBBERS (formed 2015)Nigel Knapp and Jerry Wigens on guitar – A bit like The Big Fibbers but not as big and more faux. They play all The Big Fibbers hits plus some new songs. The new songs are about, among other things, coal-mining crows, hangovers, old girl-friends and dwarves (in cupboards). 3 new Faux Fibber songs - https://soundcloud.com/bigfibber

The Big Faux Fibbers

And then came THE BIG FAUX FIBBERS (formed 2017)Nigel Knapp joined by both Michael McDonough-Jones and Jerry Wigens. Yes two guitarists! How rock’n roll is that? Very!On the first day God created The Big Fibbers. On the second day God created The Faux Fibbers. On the third day God created THE BIG FAUX FIBBERS. Then She took the rest of the week off and had a bloody good party!

The Bigger Fibbers

And occasionally (when we can afford to) we go out asTHE BIGGER FIBBERS (formed 2014)Nigel & Michael joined by some fantastic musicians playing electric/stand-up bass, percussion/drums, violin, euphonium and other strange horns and sometimes two girl backing singers – The Maiden Aren’ts

Fibbers - Band Members

The Big Fibbers – The Bigger Fibbers – The Faux Fibbers

Vocals, swanee whistle and found objects.

Nigel Knapp formed his first band way back in 1983. Mr Jones & the Next Door Neighbours turned out to be quite a good punk band. Pity they were five years too late. After a year of rehearsals they got a gig in a dodgy Camden pub and they got their heads kicked in. The audience loved them! -Honest, it’s just the way people used to show their appreciation back then.

He spent the next two years in Europe, begging and busking. Honing his craft he called it. Bloody foreign hippies the locals called it.

Back in London he answers an ad for ‘a god damm crazy bonkers singer’ Zzub Zzub Buzz play surreal blues thrash – with cute bits. They form the Cucumber Liberation Front and become quite popular on the burgeoning Stoke Newington music scene. The band falls apart when the guitarist disappears to Ireland.

Nigel then joins The Loggerheads, a studio band mainly. The rest of the band don’t like performing which is what Nigel is really into. They produce a 12 inch single – Plan 9 From Outer Space -just before Nigel leaves.

He wants to perform and leap about and juggle vegetables. That opportunity comes with The Blatant lies Big Band. The B.L.B.B. aren’t a big band at all. That’s a blatant lie. There’s just two of them, Nigel and Grib. They do quite well and pull off a couple of West country tours. But Grib lives in Edinburgh and it all becomes a bit impossible.

In 2002, whilst rescueing penguins from the zoo Nigel meets Michael Jones and The Big Fibbers come into being. The rest, as they say, is history.

As well as making music, Nigel’s also one of a rare breed – an honest politican! He stood in the last General Election as a member of The Monster Raving Loony Party. See here for more details.

Back in the day...

THE BIG FIBBERS BEAUTIFUL BUCKET OF FUN

Between April 2005 and September 2008 The Big Fibbers ran one of the best cabaret shows in London - "a variety show for the 21st century", said Time Out, London's Secret Scenes. Based mainly at The Bodrum Cafe, Stoke Newington ,but also in other venues all over London, The Bucket of Fun was home to some of London's more unusual acts.

It was described thus:

"The idea is to create a variety show for the 21st century in the basement bar of one of Stokie's fave turkish cafés. There are be musical turns, cabaret, poets, the odd stand-up (the odder the better), lots of drunken tomfoolery, NO jugglers - the ceiling isn't high enough - and amazing sounds from The Imperial Starship of Noise. And of course The Big Fibbers and - The Beautiful Bucket of Fun - whatever that is - probably a big bucket containing some strange and beautiful things which perhaps you might be able to win."